GAO Calls for Reducing Barriers to College for Foster and Homeless Youth

WASHINGTON — Burdensome paperwork requirements, limited academic preparation and a lack of adult guidance and support make it difficult for foster and homeless youth to pursue higher education, says a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

The GAO, an independent federal agency, called for streamlining federal rules that make it hard for youth to get financial aid or document their housing situation. It also urged studying how child welfare workers and others can better assist them with college planning.

Overall, about 14 percent of foster youth complete a bachelor’s degree within six years, compared with 31 percent of other students, according to federal data, GAO said. While less data is available about homeless students’ college completion rates, they have similar college enrollment patterns as foster youth, the report said.

Advocates hope the findings will encourage federal agencies and lawmakers to take steps to improve education access for foster and homeless youth.

The GAO’s findings underscore the need for colleges and universities to improve outreach and resources, and for the federal government to streamline eligibility determinations for assistance, said Sen. Patty Murray, introduced the bill last year.

“Students from all walks of life should have the chance to pursue a college degree, especially because higher education can be a ticket to the middle class,” she said in a news release. The Democrat from Washington state is the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Massachusetts, has introduced companion legislation in the House (HR 4043).

Duffield said the report stressed the role of child welfare workers and liaisons to homeless youth in schools to help students navigate college preparation and enrollment. However, she noted the positions are not entirely analogous.

2 thoughts on “GAO Calls for Reducing Barriers to College for Foster and Homeless Youth”

If the foster care system would stop removing children from good homes & placing them in unstable environments, all for the sake of money. Child Protective Services & the Foster Care System has become a business built upon kidnapping children from good parents, and lot of the times.

If the foster care system would stop removing children from good homes & placing them in unstable environments, all for the sake of money, this would not be as big of an issue as it is. Child Protective Services & the Foster Care System has become a business built upon kidnapping children from good parents, and lot of the times.